Bobby Valentine's criticisms of former player Kevin Youkilis have not stopped just because the Boston Red Sox traded their long-time fan favorite to the Chicago White Sox.

Valentine deflected responsibility for the strained relationship between manager and player while Youkilis was still with the team, instead blaming the cracks in it on Youkilis.

Watch This

The White Sox will visit Boston on Monday in Youkilis' first game against his former club.

"I think the comment I made early, he made a big issue out of, and I don't think he ever wanted to get over it," Valentine told reporters Sunday morning during his daily pregame media scrum.

Valentine was referring to the comments he made about Youkilis' focus to WHDG-TV in April.

"I don't think he's as physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past for some reason," Valentine told the station.

Those comments obviously ruffled Youkilis and did not sit well with some in the Red Sox clubhouse. Second baseman Dustin Pedroia defended Youkilis by saying, "I know Youk plays as hard as anyone I've ever seen in my life and I have his back and his teammates have his back. … I don't really understand what Bobby's trying to do, but that's not the way we go about our stuff around here."

Valentine and Youkilis, along with general manager Ben Cherington, met after Valentine's comments but the player-manager relationship was never repaired, which was part of the reason Youkilis was traded.

Valentine was asked Sunday if he believed their relationship was strained.

"I have no idea," Valentine said. "It was whatever he wanted it to be."

The White Sox ended the weekend in Kansas City, and when Youkilis was told of Valentine's comments Sunday he declined to add his opinion.

"I got nothing about any of that stuff," Youkilis told reporters. "I'm over all the Boston thing of this year."

While with the Red Sox this season, Youkilis hit .233, had a .315 on-base percentage and a .377 slugging percentage. He had four home runs and 14 RBIs while injuries and his poor production limited him to 165 plate appearances.

Since the trade to the White Sox, Youkilis is hitting .316 with a .412 on-base percentage and .509 slugging percentage. He has three home runs and 15 RBIs in 68 plate appearances.